If you are new to the healing powers of Reiki you might be thinking,
as I did when I first heard about it, “What is this all
about, you can’t really heal anything with energy!” Well,
as I soon discovered, the only limitations that Reiki has are
the ones I imposed on it. And as I began to actually experience
and use this amazing healing tool, a whole new world opened up
to me and my life was forever changed.

My Reiki journey began nearly a decade ago, when I took a week
long aromatherapy for horses course in Dorset, England. On
the course I was surrounded by some interesting characters. There
were herbalists, energy healers and even animal communicators in
the bunch. Being a police officer at the time and coming
from what I would describe as a pretty “normal” upbringing,
you can imagine that this was not the type of group with which
I was accustomed. Nonetheless, I tried to keep an open mind.

I had my first Reiki session later in the week and was amazed. I
could literally feel the energy flow through my body as it began
clearing away the symptoms of a cold I, only moments ago, could
feel coming on. Needless to say that experience got my attention
and I began learning Reiki, eventually becoming a Reiki Master,
the highest level of study, myself. I don’t tell you
this to impress but instead to impress upon you the impact this
energy healing has had on my life.

If this is brand new to you, it might be helpful to give you a
little background on Reiki. First off, Reiki is a Japanese
phrase, “Rei” meaning ‘universal’ and “Ki” meaning ‘life
force’. This “Universal Life Force” was
rediscovered in the early 20th century by Dr. Mikao Usui, who then
began teaching it to those interested. Since then it has
spread to 100’s of thousands of people in many different
countries and it is quickly gaining credibility being used regularly
in clinics and hospitals all over the world. It is a non-invasive
energy healing technique that is capable of working on all levels
of “dis-ease” in the body, the mind and even the spirit. It
has been shown to alleviate pain and reduce stress in a matter
of minutes and can even be a powerful tool for both personal and
spiritual development.

Among many things Reiki can:

Alleviate stress, fears, worry and frustrations

Assist in cleansing the body of different types of toxins

Help people break unwanted habits or conditions like smoking,
overeating or alcoholism

Be administered to someone from any distance, whether
in the same room or across the globe

Work on anything from animals to house plants and even your
computer!

Now, many years later, as an Equine Behavioral Specialist, Natural
Horsemanship Clinician and Animal Communicator, not only do I teach
Reiki, I use it almost every day in any number of circumstances.

Animals are great clients for energy work because they don’t
have any preconceived notions or skepticism that often gets in
the way of human receptivity. An animal is simply present
to the experience. If it likes it, it likes it and if it
doesn’t it leaves: Simple as that. I have found
that most horses love Reiki. They will quite often relax
into the healing session, lower their heads, keeping a leg cocked
in a relaxed position and even close their eyes as they enjoy the
sensation. Many times you can even hear their stomachs gurgle
as the healing energy flows through them, clearing energy blocks
as it goes. And when they have had enough, they will often
let you know by “waking up” and sometimes even walking
away.

It needs to be noted that Reiki is not intended to be a substitute
for Western medicine and a vet should always be notified in cases
of illness and concern. But it is a powerful tool and can
assist on many levels of healing. I have seen it change the
lives of people and animals alike. It has had such a powerful
impact so many times that it is impossible to just write it off
as coincidence or imagination. And most importantly, the
more you use it, the more your relationship with the world around
you changes. It will strengthen your relationships with people,
with nature and, most of all, yourself. At least that is
what it has done for me.